Windows 7 is due out this month, so there are many articles popping up about upgrading from Vista and XP. A lot of people skipped Vista, so I want to focus on the XP upgrade.
First of all, you only upgrade option for Windows XP to Windows 7 is a completely new install. You can’t do a straight upgrade because XP is 10 year old software and is not compatible with the new operating system. So if you are considering moving to the new Windows 7, you have some research to do.
Firstly go download the Windows 7 Update advisor to see if your current machine is capable of running Windows 7. Research your current Windows XP programs to see which ones are compatible with the new Windows. If you’re lucky the manufacturer will be coming out with drivers for Windows 7. But some programs will just not be supported.
Next you may have to look for firmware updates on your hardware. You might have to upgrade the BIOS on your motherboard to install Windows 7. But before you start doing that, start backing up your current system. Whether you do a full hard drive image or just your important files is up to you. As I mentioned, going from XP to 7 only offers you a clean install. So everything not backed up will be lost.
If you have multiple hard drives or a partitioned drive you might want to dual boot Windows 7 with Windows XP so that you can use both of them. This is a good way to test out Windows 7 to see if you like it. As with most new software, there is a bit of a learning curve.
This is just a general look at the process. Be sure and do some research on technical websites if you are unsure of anything.
ebc29657-dc05-44c5-846f-4153f63b461f|0|.0